The Murse

The last time we were on furlough, Troy got prescription sunglasses, for the first time in his very deprived existence. He was happy. He was happy until we got back to Spain and he didn’t know what to do with said sunglasses when he went out, or with his other glasses if he put the sunglasses on. He was in a pickle.

For awhile, he made me carry his things around for him, since I usually have a purse or bag of some sort with me. After doing this for some time, I told him he was going to have to worry about his own belongings.

Enter the murse. He likes to say “It’s not a purse, it’s a man-bag. It’s European!” He has this recorded on his facebook audio status. He says it so often that Nicolas has it memorized, including the intonation. He says it all the time and then laughs hysterically. Well, they both do! (If you aren’t on facebook, you should join so you can hear it !)

Now that he has a solution for his belongings, he’s addicted. Last summer when we went to Hungary, he took THREE different size murses. I took one. Yeah. WHATEVER!

My friend Jacob Ginter was the first to model for me a new trend in men’s fashion. I must confess: at first I thought he was just a nerd. Now I know: he’s actually a nerd with a purse.

Let me introduce you to the Murse. For the uneducated, a Murse is a Man’s Purse. It functions a little like a women’s purse, but it is cooler. I like my Murse because I don’t have to load my pockets with keys, phone, gum, tissues, metro pass, and coin, um, purse. So now, when I'm walking down the street I don't waddle like a penguin.

When I first started using the Murse, I was afraid everyone would start looking at me like: "Why does that man have a purse?" But when our friends CJ and Amy visited, she reassured me that I was not turning into a woman. She pointed out that, if I were becoming a Mommy, I would have things like crackers, baby wipes, Cheerios, hand lotion, lip balm and a nail file in there. I responded by saying, “You’re right: all I carry in my Murse is my eye liner.”

There is a particular way to wear a Murse. The strap should run diagonally across your chest, starting from your left shoulder, crossing down to your right hip. This makes you look like Miss Kentucky. And I mean, specifically, Miss Kentucky, cuz she has as much facial hair as your average guy.

I’m glad I started using The Murse because I consider it training for the upper body support I’ll need when I’m in my seventies: The Bro.